City tops in NITI Aayog report, poorest in health

Bhartesh Singh Thakur 

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Tribune News Service 

Chandigarh, December 22 

Chandigarh tops among the Union Territories in NITI Aayog’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) India report while among the states, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh (HP) are at the top. Chandigarh has a score of 68 while Kerala and HP have a score of 69 each. 

A composite score is computed for each state and Union Territory based on their aggregate performance across 13 of the 17 SDGs. The value of the score indicates the average performance of the state/UT towards achieving the 13 SDGs and their respective targets by 2030. 

The report, released on December 21, says: “Among the UTs, Chandigarh takes the lead because of its exemplary performance in providing clean water and sanitation to its people. It has further made good progress towards providing affordable and clean energy, generating decent work and economic growth, and providing quality education.” It is followed by Puducherry (65), Daman and Diu (63), Delhi (62) and Lakshadweep (62). 

Kerala’s top rank is attributed to its superior performance in  providing good health, reducing hunger, achieving gender  equality and providing quality education. Himachal Pradesh ranks high on providing clean water and sanitation, in reducing inequalities and preserving mountain ecosystem. They are followed by Tamil Nadu (66), Andhra Pradesh (64), Goa (64), Gujarat (64), Karnataka (64) and Maharashtra (64). Punjab has 60 points while Haryana is much behind at 55. 

Where Chandigarh lacks 

In No Poverty, Chandigarh’s performance has been among the worst performers. It has a score of 39 and is 5th among the Union Territories, while Puducherry tops with a score of 61. Tamil Nadu tops among states with a score of 76, followed by Mizoram.  

Chandigarh has 21.81 percentage of population living below National Poverty Line, percentage of households with any usual member covered under any health insurance or health scheme is 21.30 which is below national average, percentage of eligible population receiving maternity benefit is just 13.7 which is below national average and the number of homeless households per 10,000 households is 19.7 which is almost double the national average.    

Chandigarh is worst in Good Health and Well-Being not just among the UTs but also in the entire country. It has scored just 23 on this parameter. Puducherry is the best among the UTs with 66 points and Kerala tops among the states with 92 points. 

The percentage of children aged 12-23 months fully immunised is 79.5%. Though all-India average is 62%, the target is 100%. The annual notification of TB cases per lakh population is 523, which is the highest in the country. The national average is 138.33 and the target is to eliminate it completely. 

The number of governmental physicians, nurses and midwives per 1 lakh population is 10.45 in the city. It is the lowest in the country. The national average is 220.96, while the target is 549.96.    

Chandigarh is one of the poorest in Reduced Inequalities parameter. It has just scored 52 and is at the bottom among all Union Territories. Even if we include the states, it would be the third worst in the country. 

The Palma Ratio of Household Expenditure in Urban India, which is the ratio of monthly consumption expenditure of top 10 per cent households to bottom 40 per cent households, is 1.74. The all-India average is 1.41 whereas the target is 1. The same ratio in rural area of the city is 1.18 whereas the national average is 0.92 and the target is 1.  

The city has not fared that well on Sustainable Cities and Communities. The houses completed under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna as percentage of net demand assessment for houses is just 0.6, percentage of urban households in slums is 9.01 and just 33 per cent of waste is processed.

Chandigarh has not fared that well on the Life on Land parameter as just 18.91 per cent land is under forest. The target area to be brought under forest in the City Beautiful is 33 per cent. There has been 0.09 per cent decrease in the forest area in the city from 2015 to 2017. The city has scored a total of 83 points here.

City best in Affordable and Clean Energy

Chandigarh, Gujarat, Dadar and Nagar Haveli and Lakshdweep score 100 in Clean Water and Sanitation across India. The city tops in Affordable and Clean Energy in country with 96 points followed by Tamil Nadu at 89.